


May I Have This Dance?

by Darkone007



Series: Confessions of Secrets Held Dear [2]
Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: F/F, Xena is willing to do ANYTHING to make Gabrielle feel safe in their relationship.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-05 02:23:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17316272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkone007/pseuds/Darkone007
Summary: Still recovering from the confessions the night before?Xena takes Gabrielle to a neighboring village for the express purpose of easing both their minds.Discovering the village holds a festival with a masquerade ball?Xena sets into motion a plan born of a devoted heart.[I've made tweaks to the original, hoping to make it more...romantic]





	May I Have This Dance?

 All usual disclaimers apply. Please? Enjoy!

 

  
May I Have This Dance?

By Darkone007

 

The morning had been tense. Farewells were said to Joxer,  
and Gabrielle had kept her distance from him then. She  
had meant it when she had called him part of their family,  
but Joxer had betrayed that trust in a big way.

 

Trust was going to be hard to come by, but she knew  
he was still part of their family, and would miss him in  
that sense.

Joxer, encased by his shame, had  
 left without a word to her, feeling he had done more  
than enough damage to their friendship as it was.

 

Forgiving him was easy, the bard thought. Trusting him  
again would take time.

 

That gave the bard time to think about the night before,  
and all of the apprehensions she had.

 

Her apprehensions from the other night had  
calmed some, though hadn't disappeared. She knew  
she loved the warrior riding beside her, her heart  
didn't lie. But the thought of making love to Xena?

 

Well, she knew she wanted that too, but everytime she  
tried for one of her old fantasies? Dahok's dark  
presence would come crashing into her facefirst. The  
warrior of her dreams was replaced with the harsh cruel  
taker that Dahok had created. And why?

 

Because she had often entertained the wild fantasy of  
Xena taking her, conquering her, and that was what Dahok  
had done. Used her dark fantasy to torture, and destroy  
her. Well, the destruction had been delayed. She had  
come back... Xena's love for her would not let her  
vanish. It was so easy to do that...slip away, let all  
the pain fade...

 

But with that, her love for the warrior would have  
vanished, and she would be a shell of the woman she  
truly was. And Gabrielle had become an amazing woman.  
Joxer said so, in his bumbling attempts at romance.  
And so had Xena, her pride in Gabrielle was so shining,  
it made her heart beat triple time.

 

She started as Xena walked back into camp, and wrapped  
her arms around the bard. Gabrielle just basked in the  
warm flesh and unparralleled strength. She doubted the  
Son of Zeus could be this strong.

 

Warm lips pressed against her ear, as she turned in the  
embrace. "May I?" Asked in a shy tone, and she nodded.  
She felt those lips close on hers, and she  
started to reflect the kiss when the images came. Her  
body tensed so hard she broke the warrior's embrace.

 

She opened her eyes to see the warrior's blue ones looking  
at her in frightened concern. The warrior retracted her  
arms and felt the bard's soft hands wrap around her forearms.

 

"I--I'm sorry, Gabrielle...I, well I wanted to give you  
a hug, that's all, but...I didn't mean..not with what you  
said  last night..." She looks at Argo, bitter  
disappointment  for her lack of control.

 

"No, Xena...I'm sorry. It--he was there, laughing.  
I---I'm sorry." The bard looked at the ground, saddened  
at the possibility that she may never be able to have  
her warrior on every level, in every sense.

 

"Xena? Will I ever be able to do this? Hold you, touch  
you, caress you? Am I  
going to live with this spectre he created forever?"

 

"Oh, my love...That should be the last thing to worry  
about. When you are ready? You will know it's  
right..." She bent to the lake's edge to take a  
final drink when she felt the bard's  
arms wrap around her from behind.

Xena looked down into the lake's surface, and pondered  
her features, feeling she had to do something...and soon.

 

"Xena? I---I could really use a hug right now."  
The warrior turned in the embrace and held her bard tight.

After long moments of silence, the bard spoke again.  
"I want to stay like this forever. I want nothing to  
move me." She said in a dreamy voice.

 

"Hey...the village over the next hill is holding some  
sort of festival. You could go shopping, if you want?"  
The warrior probed.

 

"Okay...can I ride?" Xena looked down at the woman at  
this request, an eyebrow arched in question. "I don't  
want to let go." Was all the bard said in reply. Of  
course, the warrior could not refuse.

 

They rode into the small village, and noticed that  
everyone was wearing masks, and unusual costumes.

 

"What's going on?" Gabrielle asked a woman passing by.

 

"The festival. The day where we pretend to be something  
we wish to be. For one day, from noon today, til noon  
tomorrow? We are no longer bound by our responsibilities.  
It is how we celebrate a year of hard work."

 

Xena smiled and listened, as she decided she and the bard  
would attend, that is, if Gabrielle so desired.

 

"Xena? Can we---?" Gabrielle smiled as she whispered her  
request. Xena nodded and smiled as the bard hugged her  
tightly. She leaned up to whisper in the warrior's ear  
before kissing it.

 

"Meet me at the dance? And wear something that isn't dark?"

 

Xena nodded her affirmation as she watched the bard walk away.  
She had decided what she was going to wear to the masquerade.  
Now, if she could only find the right accessories...

 

Xena's quest led her to a small booth at the end of the  
village with two elderly women tending it.

 

"Hello there, dearie! We have everything one could need  
for the festival." Xena tied the red silk bandana-mask  
over her head and face, smiling as she looked in the  
mirror. Her lower face was left open and her lips sagged  
into a frown.

 

'The hair has got to change.' She thought.

 

"How dashing! But perhaps the warrior would like this  
as well?" The elderly woman held up a mask of solid  
finely polished porcelain, with blue accent lines, and  
rosy lips, with a small silver teardrop.

 

"One kiss in the moonlight, and the face you wear, is  
yours forever..." the woman whispered.  Intrigued, the warrior  
walked forward.

 

Nightfall, the dance begins......

Gabrielle is dressed in the light silk dress and bodice  
of a maiden. The azure silk had a deeper blue laced up  
corset that accentuated her cleavage. The sleeves were  
billowed out at the wrist, and added to the elegance she  
radiated. She smiled and talked as she listened to the  
people chatting with her. She looked up and saw the most  
alluring sight imagineable.

 

Xena[she was sure it was the warrior, no mistaking the  
height, walk, or the eyes.] was walking towards her, a  
red silk mask covering her proud features,  
a laced bodice tied off above the navel, accentuating  
the ripple of tightly toned abdominal muscles, and  
highlighting a perfect cleavage. A pair of  
earthen colored lace up pants matched the red silk blouse  
perfectly. A good portion of the warrior's muscled legs  
were left exposed through the seams where they were laced  
up the length of the leg. A pair of soft red leather boots  
were buckled at the knee.

 

All this the bard took in with  
a gasp, and lost all sense of breathing when she saw the  
long braid of silver-white hair resting at the warrior's  
hips.

 

"May I have this dance?" A familiar voice cooed in her  
ear, as she nodded slightly. The bard had yet to recover  
from the sensory overload she had experienced. She was  
gently led to the dancefloor, as strongarms wrapped around  
her lithe frame.

 

"You look absolutely stunning, Gabrielle. Did you pick  
this out for me?" She gently smoothed her hand  
over the bard's lower back.

 

"Yes...I wanted to look..." The bard's voice trailed off  
as she slowly leaned against the warrior's strong chest.

 

"Look what? Gabrielle?" Xena looked down at her, and  
smiled as the eyes she adored shown up at her with unshed  
tears.

 

"I...I wanted to look innocent again..." She whispered.  
She felt the warrior's arms wrap around her tightly.

 

"Gabrielle? What happened to you was cruel, and unbearably  
painful. It wasn't your fault...it was..."  
Soft lips touched hers, and she smiled as the bard whispered  
softly.

 

"It wasn't yours either, it was out of our control, alright?"  
Smiling when she saw the nod, she nuzzled Xena's neck.  
"I love your outfit, by the way. You're gorgeous in red.  
Absolutely breathtaking."

 

"Well, I was a pirate at one time. So this seemed appropriate."

 

The music began to get slower as Gabrielle rested her  
forearms on Xena's shoulders, feeling the warrior's hands  
settle on the gentle swell of her hips, guiding her gently.

 

"Your hair? Did you put some sort of dye in it? It  
looks..." She saw the hurt look in the warrior's eyes.

 

"You don't like it?" She asked in a soft voice.

 

"It's beautiful, Xena, but why? How?" The bard asked.

 

"We can talk about that later."

 

Gabrielle felt her body move closer in the dance. Her hands

trailed down to the  
exposed abdominals and smiled at the short intake of air.  
She lightly trailed her fingers over and up to the knot  
where the bodice was tied off above the navel. She gently  
stroked her hand in a circular pattern over the warrior's  
stomach, feeling the muscles quiver under her touch.

The music ended, and they parted. Xena gave her a quick  
squeeze, and whispered into her ear.

 

"Save me a dance?"

 

"Like I'm dancing with anyone else?!" The bard whispered  
back.

 

They parted, each heading to the other side of the  
dancefloor. When the music for the second dance began,  
Xena felt a soft hand wrap around her bared stomach and  
smiled at the men who had been waiting to dance with the   
bard?  Was led back to the dancefloor, by the same bard.

 

All suitors for the bard gave up after the  
third dance. The constantly flirtatious dancing and  
smiling engaged by the two women was not unseen, and all  
smiled at the thought of such happiness.

 

Gabrielle smiled as the warrior stood behind her.

 

"Lean back, my love." After doing so, she felt the warrior's  
stronghand trail up her side and bring her arm up and  
behind the warrior's neck, receiving a soft kiss to her  
elbow as she did so.

 

The warrior's hands rested below the swell of her breast.  
Those hands then slid down her sides slowly, sensually  
as the music  
began again, and she felt herself let go. Trust, she  
trusted the warrior's touch, her nearness, her love,  
and that was  
the most sensual thing she had ever felt. It unleashed  
everything as she felt their bodies slowly move in time  
to the music. Love, hope, faith, all these destroyed the  
barriers that had been erected by fear, pain, and hate.

She knew then, without a doubt, she could  
love this woman in everyway.

Xena then spun her around, and dipped her.

 

The bard untied the red silk mask covering the warrior's face  
and was shocked to see an unfamiliar visage.

Xena smiled as she looked into the eyes of her beloved,  
and straightened.

 

The face was slightly fuller, with fuller lips,  
less prominent cheekbones, and more rounded eyes.  
A still beautiful sight, though not the one she had fallen  
in love with.

 

Xena took her hand and led her into a small  
field outside the village. She looked overhead, and saw  
the moon in all it's silver-white glory shining down  
and smiled at her bard.

 

"Gabrielle? I have to ask this. And please, answer me  
with the truth?" She knew the bard would give her no  
less, but had to know what the bard needed from her.  
Seeing the nod, she spoke softly.

 

"I know you love me, Gabrielle, and I love you. I love  
you so deeply, I would do anything to make our relationship  
easier for you. That is why I have done this."

 

She moves the bard's hand over her face in an effort to  
make the bard understand.

 

"What you see, is the Mask of Athena. It is a favor from  
Artemis, to us. If you can grow to love this face? All  
you have to do, is kiss me, right here, right now. This  
field is where Artemis and Athena blessed this valley.  
One kiss, under a full moon, and the Mask of Athena  
becomes permanent. This will be the face that  
will greet you every morning, make love to you before  
we sleep, love you  
and be beside you from here, until time ends. The moon  
will seal the promise, as the kiss seals the faith."

 

Gabrielle was silent as she looked the face before her  
over. She traced soft lips, and an elegant throat. She  
gazed into storm tossed blue eyes and whispered softly.

 

"Are you in there? My Warrior Princess? The hero of  
my dreams, and the love of my life?"

 

Seeing a tear streaked  
nod, she leaned forward, and reached behind the warrior's  
ears. Strong hands rested atop hers and she saw an  
unspoken question in those eyes she loved so.

 

"Xena, I cannot tell you how much I love you for this.  
To give me such a gift, to show me such love. Let me  
now show you how much I love you."

 

Gabrielle's hands  
found the mask's edge and gently pulled forward. The  
mask became a thing of fine porcelain and beauty.

The bard saw the hair darken and the face slim, the  
lips thin slightly, and the cheekbones angle softly, as  
she leaned forward.

 

Wrapping her arms around the warrior's  
neck she felt the warrior's arms wrap around her trim  
waist, they shared a soft kiss. One so soft and gentle,  
it felt as if a baby's breath had passed between them.

 

Gabrielle brought her hand up into the warrior's dark  
tresses and the mask fell. It shattered in a soft  
shimmerring of starlight.

 

In the darkness, two sisters watched.

 

"Thank you sister. You have no idea how much this means  
to me..." The auburn haired goddess turned to her  
sister with raven hair and golden armoured silk gown.

 

"I am sorry for the mask though." She looked down at the  
ground.

 

"Your chosen has served us all well, she deserves peace,  
and that peace can be found only in the arms of my lost  
one. As to  
the mask, it is only an ornament, and it has brought  
so much joy."

 

The two sisters hugged each other and faded from the night.

 

____________________________________________  
Another step made.


End file.
